OXYGEN ADMINISTRATION DURING LABOR

Seventy women were given 100 per cent oxygen to breathe for varying lengths of time during labor. Fetal pH and blood gas changes were observed using the Saling technique of scalp sampling. The overall mean increment of pO2 in fetal capillary blood was 3.5 mm. Hg. However, a negative regression was observed (i.e., in general, the lower the initial fetal pO2, the greater the increment). In a control group of 33 mothers who breathed only room air, no significant change in fetal pO2 was noted. Umbilical vein pO2 values were significantly greater in the oxygenated group than the controls, while umbilical artery values remained stable in both groups. pH, pCO2, and base deficits did not change with oxygen inhalation. It would seem that oxygen administration is warranted as an adjunct in the treatment of fetal distress. © 1969.